FloridaCracker
Newbie
I've been a GS3 user for about 2 months and can say I really love this phone. The phone has a ton of ways to customize it and it's been driving me crazy trying to find something that appeals to my liking. Anyways, I thought I would just share what I've done with my phone to get it to where it is and what I recommend after downloaded a shiz load of apps. First off, the TouchWiz interface is completely fine. I just wanted to go with something that is a little more customizable. I downloaded Go Launcher (which I hate and think all go apps are garbage, especially sms pro), Nova Launcher, Launcher 7, Windows 8 For Android, Launcher Pro, and Apex. I was really trying to find a way to utilize the Desktop Visualizer app (which I think is in the top 5 of apps I've downloaded) and I kept having a hard time finding the right launcher/settings to make my own tiles and have them line up properly. My conclusion is that I've found Apex Launcher to be the best launcher for the GS3. It's user friendly, yet completely customizable. Although I didn't use the feature, I like the fact you can hide the dock area. The most important setting in Apex that ive found when working with desktop visualizer is being able to set your own custom homescreen grid, which enables you to have a ton of visual workspace.
Next thing is the icons. They aren't the easiest things to find on the Internet and a lot of them are different sizes, which can really mess things up if you're trying to make a custom tile layout. I've got the best Internet resources I could find bookmarked on my phone. I know a lot of people say to Google search windows 8 screen shots and other related terms, and then just save the image and crop the tile you want. But I found that method to not be effective as there aren't many screen shots on Google images and the usable ones I could find, weren't high enough quality once I cropped them. Let me know if anyone wants me to post the links and ill be happy to round them up.
Next is the keyboard. The stock keyboard isn't terrible but I'm sort of a fast typer and rely on auto correct. SwiftKey 3 is hands down the best keyboard on the market. I can literally hold my phone in portrait mode and type as fast as I can move my fingers, and the keyboard will get everything correct 95% of the time, and I like the fact that you don't have to press the keyboard after every single word.
The final thing I'd recommend is an Otterbox. I've never owned a nice phone like this one, but I can assure you that you want some kind of case, and I can't imagine finding a better one than the Otterbox defender series. I got the camo one because, well, I'm just an ol' Florida redneck, and what can I say? I love camo!
I sure hope someone can benefit from this thread. I sure wished I could've found something like this to save me from all the hassle. Oh well, finding out stuff on your own can be more rewarding anyhow.
Next thing is the icons. They aren't the easiest things to find on the Internet and a lot of them are different sizes, which can really mess things up if you're trying to make a custom tile layout. I've got the best Internet resources I could find bookmarked on my phone. I know a lot of people say to Google search windows 8 screen shots and other related terms, and then just save the image and crop the tile you want. But I found that method to not be effective as there aren't many screen shots on Google images and the usable ones I could find, weren't high enough quality once I cropped them. Let me know if anyone wants me to post the links and ill be happy to round them up.
Next is the keyboard. The stock keyboard isn't terrible but I'm sort of a fast typer and rely on auto correct. SwiftKey 3 is hands down the best keyboard on the market. I can literally hold my phone in portrait mode and type as fast as I can move my fingers, and the keyboard will get everything correct 95% of the time, and I like the fact that you don't have to press the keyboard after every single word.
The final thing I'd recommend is an Otterbox. I've never owned a nice phone like this one, but I can assure you that you want some kind of case, and I can't imagine finding a better one than the Otterbox defender series. I got the camo one because, well, I'm just an ol' Florida redneck, and what can I say? I love camo!
I sure hope someone can benefit from this thread. I sure wished I could've found something like this to save me from all the hassle. Oh well, finding out stuff on your own can be more rewarding anyhow.
